’It seems Zheng Qiurong holds a grudge against me and has dropped the act. Still, mastering a swordsmanship technique in seven days isn’t difficult for me.’
"Alright."
Although half a day would have been enough time, Lin Yan didn’t plan on revealing his full capabilities. He’d just wait seven days and then go to the Zheng Family’s door to settle the matter.
Tearing off the oiled paper and looking at the four large words on the cover—"Fireflies Illuminating the Night"—a satisfied smile appeared on Lin Yan’s face.
’No rush!’
’I’ll wait until after I see Master to study it properly.’
Arriving at the Fifth Branch’s area, Lin Yan saw a figure walking toward him and called out, "Brother Mingshan."
"Lin Yan, you’re here to see Uncle Jiu, aren’t you?"
Lin Mingshan hadn’t expected to run into Lin Yan so coincidentally. His expression was awkward for a moment, but a smile quickly took its place. "Uncle Jiu should be in the courtyard right now."
"Mm."
Lin Yan nodded, but he had only walked a short distance when Lin Mingshan’s voice called out from behind him.
"Lin Yan, regarding Minghao targeting you, the Fifth Branch has already disciplined him. His right to collect Martial Arts Resources for the year has been revoked. I’ve already spoken with Minghai; all the Martial Arts Resources Minghao was supposed to receive from the clan this year will be transferred to you. As an additional punishment, he’s been sent to stand guard at the Beihan Mine for one year. Rest assured... he won’t target you again. Let’s consider this matter settled, what do you think?"
Lin Yan had heard of the Beihan Mine. It was a mine the Lin Family used to forge common weapons, located deep at the foot of a mountain. The cold was oppressive, and it saw no sunlight. Even Martial Artists of the Blood Exchange Realm would grow uncomfortable if they stayed there too long. None of the clan members were willing to be stationed there.
"Since Brother Mingshan is the one asking, how could I refuse?"
Lin Yan nodded with a smile. He was quite satisfied with the punishment the Fifth Branch had dealt Lin Minghao. He had received compensation, and Lin Minghao had been punished.
As for Lin Xiao, Lin Yan didn’t bother to ask. If even Lin Minghao was punished so severely, Lin Xiao’s fate was bound to be worse.
"Alright, then I won’t keep you."
Hearing Lin Yan’s agreement, Lin Mingshan breathed a sigh of relief. He had truly put a great deal of thought into how to handle Minghao.
Arriving at his master’s courtyard gate, Lin Yan knocked.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
"Master!"
"Come in."
Hearing the voice, Lin Yan pushed the door open. The front courtyard was empty, but he paid it no mind; his master usually stayed in the backyard.
What Lin Yan didn’t expect, however, was that besides his master and Sister Mingxi, there was also an elderly man in his fifties in the backyard.
"This is Jian Sheng’s master. His surname is He, and he is an old friend of mine," Lin Shouyuan explained, introducing his friend to Lin Yan.
"Greetings, Senior He."
Lin Yan hurriedly paid his respects. ’Since he’s Jian Sheng’s master, he must be a powerhouse whose skill in the Sword Dao is comparable to my own master’s.’
As he bowed his head, a sliver of doubt entered Lin Yan’s mind. Though he couldn’t see anything amiss in the expressions of his master or Senior He, he had caught a flicker of worry in Sister Mingxi’s eyes.
’Sister Mingxi is worried about me.’
’But what is there for her to be worried about?’
"Your master told me you comprehended both the Pine Wind Sword Intent and the Mist Rain Sword Intent in just half a month. Very impressive."
He Qiaosheng offered this praise, his gaze sweeping over Lin Yan, but he said nothing more.
"It’s rare for you to come looking for me. Is there something on your mind?"
"Master, I made a bet and won a swordsmanship manual from the Zheng Family. Today, while I had some free time waiting for them to deliver the technique, I went to the third floor of the Library Pavilion. I saw a book written by one of our predecessors about Sword Pills."
"You must be talking about the ’Sword Pill Record,’ right?"
Lin Shouyuan stroked his beard. "It seems my telling you about the Sword Heart last time put some pressure on you. What did you think after reading that book?"
"I saw that the predecessor mentioned a path of using Sword Pills to achieve victory through quantity, but you, Master, don’t seem to approve... I’m a bit confused. Is there a problem with the predecessor’s method?"
Lin Shouyuan fell silent for a long moment before saying, "If I told you that you could fly to the heavens by stepping on your right foot with your left, would you find it credible?"
Lin Yan was speechless.
"That predecessor’s thinking was too simplistic. Since you’ve read the book, you should know that the power of an Innate Sword Heart lies in two areas. The first is their talent in the Sword Dao; the second is their capacity for accommodating numerous Sword Intents."
"By using multiple Sword Pills, you can indeed comprehend more Sword Intents. However, to form an additional Sword Pill, you must comprehend an entirely different type of Sword Intent. If I were to have you cultivate the clan’s Shadowless Swordsmanship and Spirit Snake Swordsmanship now, you would find comprehending their Sword Intents far more difficult than it was for Pine Wind and Mist Rain Swordsmanship. Given that, it is better to specialize in similar types of Sword Intent. Once you break through to ten strands of a single type, you’ll have a chance to touch the threshold of a Sword Domain. If you divide your focus among multiple Sword Pills, I fear a Sword Domain will forever be out of your reach."
Seeing the confused look in Lin Yan’s eyes, Lin Shouyuan explained, "I didn’t want to tell you these things so early. I had planned to wait until you reached the Blood Exchange Fourth Transformation, went to the Tai Mountain Sword Inquiry Stone to have your sword tested, and received your certificate of talent in the Sword Dao. I was going to tell you all this before you left for the North Sea Lineage."
As he finished speaking, Lin Shouyuan shot an imperceptible glance at He Qiaosheng, who gave a slight nod in return. The two had completed a silent exchange.
"However, as it happens, Brother He is about to take Jian Sheng to the Tai Mountain Sword Inquiry Stone to be tested. You will go along with them. Although your current Realm is still a bit lacking, the test at the Sword Inquiry Stone is primarily an assessment of one’s talent in the Sword Dao. The fact that your strength has not yet reached the Blood Exchange Fourth Transformation shouldn’t have a major impact."
’Not a major impact still means there *is* an impact!’
Lin Yan noted this internally. ’Combining that with the flicker of worry I saw in Sister Mingxi’s eyes, something must have happened—something related to me—to make Master decide to send me to the Tai Mountain Sword Inquiry Stone ahead of schedule.’
"Alright."
Lin Yan agreed. No matter what had happened, he trusted that his master would not harm him. There had to be a reason for this arrangement.
"I will go to the Task Hall and cancel your mission to the East River. Brother He cannot delay at the Lin Family estate for too long. Go back and pack your bags. You’ll set out the day after tomorrow."

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